SaskTel to shut down 3G network by October 2027

EAGLE STAFF

People with 3G phones can use them on the SaskTel network for about more 20 months. The Crown corporation will abandon its 3G wireless network on Oct. 1, 2027.

After that, the equipment “will no longer function on SaskTel’s network,” a recent statement said. Also, devices that “are not Voice over LTE (VoLTE) compatible will lose access to voice services,” it said.

SaskTel and Lüm Mobile will move affected customers “to the 4G LTE and 5G/5G+ networks, which offer faster data speeds, more advanced devices (and) new features,” the statement said.

“As technology and customer needs evolve, it becomes necessary to turn down legacy networks,” said Charlene Gavel, who runs the company. The 3G spectrum will be used to bulk up other networks and the company will spend its money on “new and emerging technologies,” Gavel said.

The technology “is being phased out across the world,” including elsewhere in Canada, and equipment using it is getting more expensive to repair “and difficult to source,” the statement said.